2017 Highland Camping Excursion

Camping in Iceland’s highlands. July 14–24, 2017.

2 places available

The idea behind this photography tour is to have ultimate flexibility by not having fixed accommodation along the way. The only way to do so in a country where high-season accommodation fills a year in advance is to camp. It’s also the best way to experience Iceland’s interior as it saves hours of travelling back and forth between hotels and photography locations. Although the Icelandic interior, the highland, is the main focus of the trip we will also be traveling by the coastline and probably spend a couple of days near the coastline. During the excursion we’ll drive into organized campsites with running water and toilet facilities, and set up base camps there. We’ll then either drive from camp to photography locations or do moderate hikes carrying just our camera gear.

The philosophy
This photography tour is about improving your photography as well as experiencing unique and exciting locations. I will be out photographing with you every day, helping you to realize the images you’re after and encourage you to explore and see the landscape in new ways. And as a native Icelander I am there to make the tour as successful as possible by using my local knowledge and experience to get us to the best locations in good light and avoid bad weather.

Accommodation and food
The first night of July 14th will be spent at a hotel in Reykjavik City and the last night of July 23rd will be at a hotel in the town of Keflavik. The other 8 nights of the excursion will be spent camping and each participant will have use of their own 2-person expedition strength tent. We’ll also set up a large communal tent where we’ll cook and eat. For the most part we’ll have food that’s cooked in camp but while traveling we may eat at restaurants or service stations.

Conditions
Some of the areas that we’ll be visiting will require hiking over uneven and rough terrain so a decent level of fitness is recommended. It can be cold and windy in the Highlands although July is the warmest month of the year. The daily schedule can become irregular as sunset and sunrise are only a couple of hours apart. We’ll rest when we can and photograph whenever possible, but will of course pace ourselves so that we don’t burn out, physically and mentally.

To move freely about and reach even the most remote locations, where glacial rivers need to be forded, we’ll be using a modified 4×4 truck with high clearance.

The itinerary
July 14th is the designated arrival day to Iceland. We’ll overnight in Reykjavik City, which is included in the cost of the tour. The day is free to roam around and enjoy the city. The following morning we’ll leave Reykjavik and start our adventure.

Once we are off on our excursion the daily itinerary will be entirely decided by weather. My intention is to spend as much time as possible in the highlands (interior) of the country and visit areas such as Fjallabak nature reserve (Landmannalaugar), Myvatn and Askja (by crossing Sprengisandur highland route) and the highlands east of Askja, near Mt. Snaefell. I may also choose to spend some of our time near the coast if the weather in the highlands gets advers and may possibly decide to visit such remote areas as Strandir region in the West fjords, if the conditions allow. But the main theme is flexibility based on over a decade running photography tours in Iceland.

The leader
I am a native Icelander, a professional landscape photographer and have been leading photography tours and workshops in Iceland since 2003 and have included the Highland Camping Excursion as part of my summer program since 2006. You can read more about me here.